<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Human In The Way That Matters by KivaEmber</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25774933">Human In The Way That Matters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KivaEmber/pseuds/KivaEmber'>KivaEmber</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadow Ops AU [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Persona Fusion, Alternate Universe - Robots &amp; Androids, Anti-Shadow Weapon Akechi, Fluff, Implied Relationships, M/M, Persona 3 References, Pre-Relationship, Slice of Life, alternative universe, shadow ops au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:00:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,895</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25774933</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KivaEmber/pseuds/KivaEmber</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cute. Goro was way too cute, despite being a walking tank of mass destruction.</p><p>or; </p><p>A Shadow Operative and their Anti-Shadow Weapon stand on the beach eating ice cream instead of working.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadow Ops AU [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1864810</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>295</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Human In The Way That Matters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’ve been ripped off, you know.” </p><p>Akira hummed agreeably around his overpriced popsicle - raspberry flavoured - ignoring his partner’s judging glare as he scanned the scene before him. In the height of summer, Fusaki beach was thick with tourists, foreign and Japanese alike, and clad in an open shirt and a pair of red board shorts, Akira fitted right in. To be honest, it kind of <em>felt</em> like being on vacation, and he guiltily milked it for all it was worth. </p><p>Hey, look, it was <em>inevitable</em> this Shadow and/or demon was going to gatecrash at the most inconvenient time. Akira was allowed to enjoy himself until then. </p><p>Beside him, his partner was not enjoying himself and was making no effort to conceal this fact. </p><p>His partner was Goro, a prototype anti-Shadow weapon that was so startlingly human it was easy to forget the cogs and circuitry lying underneath his clothes. He was dressed in his usual jacket and tie attire, concealing the mechanical joints of his shoulders and hips, and black gloves hiding the delicate hinges of his fingers. He didn’t fit in with the rest of the tourists, looking like he’d lost his way to a business conference, but at least he didn’t scream <em>android</em> to anyone who gave more than a passing glance. </p><p>Akira glanced over at him, popping his popsicle out of his mouth when he met his partner’s unblinking glare with a roguish grin, “Stop being a sourpuss, Goro. Humans do stuff like this at beach resorts.”</p><p>“What? Abusing the business account on frivolous expenditures?” Goro huffed, his shoulders moving exaggeratedly to demonstrate this <em>human</em> gesture, “We’re supposed to be initiating a search and destroy mission on our target, not standing around eating coloured ice.”</p><p>“I’m not stopping you from searching and destroying,” Akira said mildly. </p><p>Goro scowled and didn’t move. </p><p>Akira went back to his popsicle, absently watching a nearby family try to fly a kite in the gentle breeze of the beach. He could feel a trickle of sweat drip from his temple and catch on his jawline, which he absently wiped away with the back of his hand. </p><p>“At least stand in some shade,” Goro finally muttered, “You’re beginning to get sunburnt.” </p><p>Akira played with the idea of being contrary, but when it came to ‘health violations’ Goro got <em>bossy,</em> so he obligingly meandered to one of the sun parasols that lined the edge of the beach. Goro followed him closely, and faintly Akira could hear the <em>wrrrrhhss</em> of the overheated hydraulics that worked his limbs. </p><p>“You want to try some?” Akira asked, holding out his popsicle once they were safely in the shade, “It’s raspberry.”</p><p>Goro eyed the offering suspiciously. </p><p>“What? You won’t catch anything.”</p><p>“I’m not so sure,” Goro said, but he took the popsicle. His movements were delicate and careful, his gloved fingers brushing against Akira’s and awkwardly holding the treat’s stick. He inspected the ‘coloured ice’ with thinly veiled curiosity, tilting it this way and that. He was probably logging away its appearance into his databank. </p><p>“You filling an album of photos or something?” Akira teased playfully. </p><p>Goro jolted guiltily before giving him a fearsome scowl, “Shut up, Kurusu.”</p><p>But he did end up trying it. Akira tried not to stare when the android copied him from before, pushing the popsicle into his mouth and curiously suckling the tip before letting go. There was a smudge of red on his lips, stark and eye-catching. </p><p>“Hm,” Goro stared into the middle distance, cataloguing the experience, “It’s… tart.”</p><p>“In a nice way?”</p><p>“Processing.”</p><p>Akira heard that with androids like Goro, they tried hard to give them human experiences to assist in the formation and maintenance of their Persona. Through some engineering magic and cognitive science Akira had no <em>hope</em> of understanding, they managed to allow their anti-Shadow weapons the ability to taste. The only thing was their ‘taste’ was different to human ‘taste’, and what Akira would find sour, Goro might find sweet and vice versa. It was like a game between them now, to figure out the differences between them.</p><p>“Processing… hm, I’ve concluded: yes, in a nice way,” Goro held out the popsicle and Akira reclaimed it. It was starting to melt from the bottom, leaving stickiness on the handle, “Raspberry, you said?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Logged taste: raspberry. If you get it again, I want one for myself.”</p><p>“Haha,” Akira smiled indulgently, something warm and fond fluttering in his chest, “Okay, it’s a deal.”  </p><p>A companionable silence lapsed. Or, at least, Goro wasn’t glaring at him anymore. The android was seemingly scanning the beach, unblinking eyes catching the sunlight and glinting dark red. He was like a bizarre combination of Aigis and Labrys at times - quietly attentive and overly analytical one moment, brash and eager to charge into the fray the next.</p><p>“Hey, Goro,” Akira said, smiling when the android’s focus instantly snapped to him, “Aren’t you hot?”</p><p>“My cooling systems are sufficient,” Goro said dismissively, “Thank you for your concern.”</p><p>“Do you discharge heat from somewhere or…?” Akira scanned Goro’s upper body, but there was no warp of a heatwave rising from his shoulders or head, so his gaze lowered. It was here where his android nature was more apparent, as it was decided somewhere in their design phase not to give them actual <em>feet</em> like a human, but it was surprising how few people noticed it. </p><p>“Why do you care?” Goro asked suspiciously.</p><p>“I’m just wondering…” Akira smirked, “If it’s coming out of your butt.”</p><p>“My but- ugh,” Goro’s expression flattened, “Your childish humour is <em>not</em> funny, Kurusu.”</p><p>“My childish humour is <em>hilarious,</em> thank you,” Akira sniffed, “It’s why they call me ‘Joker’.”</p><p>“They call you <em>Joker</em> because <em>you’re</em> the <em>joke</em>, not because your abysmal quips are anything to write home about.”</p><p>“You sure you’re not overheated?” Akira wagged his popsicle in Goro’s direction, “Because you’re G-R-U-M-P-Y~”</p><p>“Die,” Goro deadpanned. </p><p>“If you need to let out a big <em>heat exhaust</em> to cool off-”</p><p>Goro playfully smacked his shoulder. </p><p>Unfortunately, Goro forgot that humans weren’t solid, immovable <em>walking tanks</em> like himself. Akira yelped when the powerful heel-strike slamming into his shoulder sent him flying forwards, face-planting the sand and getting a disgusting mouthful of it as his poor popsicle went flying out of his hand. </p><p>“Ah,” he heard Goro say, “Um.”</p><p><em>“...nnnghmph,”</em> Akira half-choked, lifting his head and spitting out sand.</p><p>Strong hands grabbed him by the middle and hauled him up onto his feet like he was some wayward cat. Still a little disoriented from getting slam dunked into the beach, Akira stood there as Goro awkwardly dusted him down with sharp, agitated motions, completely avoiding eye contact. If the android could blush, Akira was certain Goro’s face would be crimson.</p><p>“Ow?” Akira hazarded, and stared at his empty hand, “Aw, my popsicle…”</p><p>“I can trace its trajectory and retrieve it,” Goro said flatly, gripping the open edges of Akira’s shirt and giving it a few sharp tugs to shake off any lingering sand. </p><p>“Uh, no, that’s fine. It’ll be all sandy and gross now,” Akira said, shaking off his shock and rolling his aching shoulder. Nothing was broken, though it was definitely going to bruise later, “Man, you don’t pull any punches, huh?”</p><p>Goro’s jaw clenched and he stepped back, his posture stiff and ramrod straight.</p><p>“...my apologies. I miscalculated,” he muttered to his knees.</p><p>“It’s fine! It barely hurt,” Akira said quickly, “Maybe just be a little gentler next time.”</p><p>“Gentler.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Akira rolled his shoulder one more time, and leaned over to pat Goro on the arm, “It’s fine, anyways. I’m used to you smacking me around.”</p><p>Goro’s method of knocking Akira out of the way of fatal attacks was to, after all, drop kick him across the battlefield. It got results but it also ended up in cracked ribs or broken arms half the time… </p><p><em>he... tries, i guess,</em> Akira thought fondly. </p><p>“I don’t need your pity,” Goro growled, swatting his hand away and crossing his arms sullenly, “Clearly, I need better training in modulating my strength for physical social actions. Failure is not permitted.”</p><p>“But you only touch <em>me</em> physically, and I don’t mind it rough,” Akira said, then realised how that sounded, “I mean, you know, with shoulder slaps and… yeah.”</p><p>Goro ignored him. He was staring into the middle distance, clearly calculating something. </p><p>Akira sighed. </p><p>“I’m gonna get another popsicle,” he said, “I’ll get you one too.”</p><p>“...”</p><p>Akira left him to it. </p><p>It was a strange friendship, he knew. The anti-Shadow weapons were androids, but they were <em>human</em> too, in all the ways that mattered - it was just, they kind of acted like aliens when it came to socialising with people. Akira found it endearing with Goro, who avidly researched the optimal way to interact with people that put them at ease for better ‘observation’. He had this whole ‘persona’ with strangers, where he spoke softly and with a cutesy cadence that was, amazingly, 100% genuine… </p><p>...then, with Akira, his personality did a flip. That, too, was 100% genuine. </p><p>It was probably just the way Goro was made, though. He was a <em>prototype</em> after all, different to Aigis and Labrys in a way Akira didn’t fully understand. That was fine, though, Goro just had to be Goro. </p><p>He returned with two popsicles at hand. Goro had finished whatever ‘calculations’ he had been running at that point, and had hesitantly accepted the frozen treat when Akira offered it, as if he expected it to be snatched away at the last moment. </p><p>“I’m not mad,” Akira said, “So, don’t worry about it.”</p><p>Goro didn’t look at him, tentatively nibbling on the tip of his treat. </p><p>“I know,” the android finally said.</p><p>“After we finish our job here,” Akira continued, “We’ll go do something fun. Hey, how about we visit Ishigakijima village?”</p><p>“All you think about is food,” Goro said, but his tense posture was thawing, “It has good reviews.”</p><p>“Did you just check its website using your fancy android brain?”</p><p>“What is the point of being able to connect to the local wifi if I cannot abuse it for informed decisions on this supposed vacation?” Goro mock-huffed, and Akira grinned in victory at the return of their earlier camaraderie, “Also, no, I… looked it up prior to arriving here.”</p><p>“Oh <em>ho</em>!” Akira gave him a teasing grin, “So while you scolded <em>me</em> for buying overpriced ice cream, you were planning on abusing the business account to pig out in expensive tourist restaurants behind my back? For shame, Goro, for shame. What would Mitsuru say?”</p><p>“I was planning on taking you along to enjoy it together!” Goro snapped defensively, then paused, “Ah, that is…”</p><p>Akira’s heart fluttered a little, and he hid his smile behind his popsicle, “Aw, that’s sweet, Goro.” </p><p>“Mmngh,” the android said and turned his back on him. Akira could all but see the steam coming out of his ears. </p><p>Cute. Goro was way too cute, despite being a walking tank of mass destruction. </p><p>Chuckling to himself, Akira took a bite of his popsicle and looked out over the beach. It sounded like a date, even if he realistically knew his romantic feelings would never be properly returned. Human in all the ways that mattered, except… well, maybe Akira was just too chicken to find out for real. </p><p>Ah well, he was content with just this.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i just wanted to write aigis!akechi ok pls don't judge me</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>